#1876126 - 01/20/08 12:44 AM
Dec 07 Soapbox
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Kramer Ferrington III.
MP Hall of Fame Member
Registered: 05/12/05
Posts: 9383
Loc: Wellington, NZ
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Blah blah blah don't overplay blah blah it's all about the song blah blah blah...
That stuff is so old: everybody, (probably even in Bagpiper's Monthly!) always says not to overplay. But in the end it's a pretty pointless thing to say because NOBODY sets out to overplay. And it's all so subjective anyway: one man's showboating clown is another man's axe hero.
I'm sure the guest knows about lots of other stuff that would have been more interesting, original and, dare I say it, useful?  That Soapbox was such a cookie-cutter effort.
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#1877448 - 01/22/08 11:09 AM
Re: Dec 07 Soapbox
[Re: Kramer Ferrington III.]
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Greg Olwell
Senior Member
Registered: 10/09/02
Posts: 84
Loc: San Bruno, CA
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Kramer,
If you had the chance to write a Soapbox, what original, helpful thing to bass players would you write? Be careful what you say, I might make you write one!
_________________________
Best Wishes,
Greg Olwell
Managing Editor
Bass Player magazine
1111 Bayhill Dr., Suite 125
San Bruno, CA 94066
650-238-0279
650-238-0261 Fax
golwell@musicplayer.com
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#1877499 - 01/22/08 12:15 PM
Re: Dec 07 Soapbox
[Re: Greg Olwell]
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Kramer Ferrington III.
MP Hall of Fame Member
Registered: 05/12/05
Posts: 9383
Loc: Wellington, NZ
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Well, ok... I was fascinated by another comment, somewhere in the mag, where Miles Davis is supposed to have defined what he wanted from the bass with just one word: "space!"
Admittedly, "space" sounds a lot like "don't overplay"  but it would be interesting to read some more of these unusual "stage directions" for bass from famous musicians. Personally, I'd find that interesting because it would (could) show different ways of conceptualizing the role of the bass.
Another idea: when I was starting to play, I was struck by a line in a friend's teach yourself manual. It said: "Bass is the heart and soul of a rock and roll band".
Which is true enough, and certainly puts the "don't overplay" thing in a different context: you don't want your heart to beat too quickly or spasmodically, you want your heart to beat comfortably and predictably... but you definitely want it to beat strongly. As the heart of the band, you definitely have some responsibilities to the music. You have to "be there" for the music or the song, you have to be like a lighthouse that the band can guide itself by.
One thing I distrust about the "don't overplay" rule is that it could potentially bring up a generation (?) of timid players. It's easy enough to infer, from all the injunctions to not overplay, that the best bassist is one that doesn't play at all. Personally, I'd rather hear "make every note count" than "don't overplay". It's just as true and far more positive.
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